I Know Everything Will Be Alright

It was nights like these that made Brian Haner Jr. wish he had a family waiting for him. Watching the lights of the city of Huntington Beach pass by him, he felt a clenching in his chest that he felt every time they returned home from tour. He watched his friends excitedly pass the last few moments of their time together by talking about how much they’d missed their significant others and children.

Sighing deeply, Brian pressed his head to the glass of the window in the kitchenette and closed his eyes. He loved his friends and their families, but he hated that he had no one to go home to tonight. Don’t get him wrong, he wouldn’t trade one moment of his time with the band. All the success they’d experienced was awe-inspiring and humbling, but something big was missing from his life.

As the bus came to a stop at the recording studio where their families were waiting to pick them up, Brian stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. Following his friends off the bus, he smiled sadly as they embraced their loved ones. He watched as Jimmy held his wife and baby daughter close while Matt scooped his son and wife into his arms. Zacky had his arms thrown around his very pregnant wife, while Johnny was kissing the life out of his soon-to-be wife.

“Hey,” a familiar voice said causing Brian to turn his head. He smiled when he saw his dad standing there.

“Dad,” he replied before letting the older man pull him into a hug. After they separated, Brian Sr. grabbed his bag and led him to his vehicle. They made small talk as his dad drove them towards Brian’s house. When they pulled up, Brian was surprised when his dad followed him into the house.

“Suzy and I made sure to check your mail for you,” his dad said as Brian dropped his bag on the floor of the living room before heading into the kitchen. Glancing at the stack of mail on the counter, he let out a low growl before opening the refrigerator door and pulling out two beers.

“You should take a look at this,” Brian Sr. said when he turned back around to hand his dad one of the beers. Brian frowned as he took the envelope from his dad. The handwriting on the front looked vaguely familiar, and Brian’s frown deepened as he opened the envelope.

Inside was a Christmas card. He glanced up at his father.

“I have no idea who sent this,” Brian said.

“Read it,” Brian Sr. replied before taking a sip of his beer. Cocking an eyebrow at his dad, Brian opened the card. The original message printed on the card was a generic Christmas greeting, but what drew Brian’s attention was the handwritten note on the opposite side of the printed message.

Brian,

I know it’s been years since we last spoke, but you’ve been on my mind lately. I just wanted to drop you a note to tell you that I’m thinking about you, and even though it’s been years, I miss you.

Merry Christmas,
Amber

Brian was stunned as he read the message a second time. An unwanted image popped into his head.

”It’s only a few months,” Brian tried to explain to his girlfriend of nearly two years.

“I know,” she whispered with her head hanging low.

“This isn’t going to change anything,” he said lifting her head with his finger under her chin.

“I’m afraid it will,” Amber said gazing into his dark eyes. “I was fully prepared to say goodbye to you today, but I can’t just let you go without asking you to stay. I know it’s not fair to ask you to give up your dream of being in this band, but I want you to know that I love you and I want to build a future with you.”

“I want to do that too,” Brian whispered as he pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly for several seconds before whispering in her ear, “It’s only a few months.”

Amber pulled herself out of his arms and backed away from him slowly. Tears filled her eyes as she put as much distance between them as possible. Brian watched her sadly for a minute before climbing into the van his friends already occupied.

That was the last time he’d seen her. Even though they only toured for several months, when they came home things had changed. Amber had decided to go to Harvard, which was on the other side of the country. When Brian heard the news from his dad, he knew that she’d done what was best for her.

Now eight years later, as he sat in his kitchen a mere three days before Christmas, Brian Haner Jr. wondered what could have been.

*****************************************

Two days later, Brian found himself alone on his couch. He’d been ignoring his ringing phone for the better part of the day. He was content to sit alone and think about his life. Sure he’d experienced success and fame, and it had been one hell of a ride, but at the same time he couldn’t help but think of the things he’d been missing out on.

Most of his friends were married and having families. Brian had never quite seen himself as much of a family man. Sure, he loved kids, but he just wasn’t sure that he was cut out to be a dad. He was so focused on his career and doing the next thing to better it that he had pushed away anyone who’d tried to get close to him.

Taking another sip of his third beer in the past hour, he sighed before closing his eyes.

****************************************

An incredible feeling of warmth spread through Brian as he shifted in his bed. The sheets felt softer than he remembered and much warmer. As he snuggled farther into the warmth, a groan sounded in the room. Freezing, Brian looked beside him and saw soft, creamy flesh peeking at him from beneath the covers.

“Just a few more minutes, okay?” the lump of flesh murmured before snuggling closer to him. He instinctively knew the person beside him was a woman. She was small and her flesh was creamy smooth. The leg that has haphazardly thrown over his hips shifted against him causing a certain part of his anatomy to spring to life.

Two thoughts hit Brian at once. First, he was in bed with a woman and he had no idea who she was. Second, he didn’t recognize the room he was in. Glancing around he saw nothing that looked like his master suite in his home.

This room was decorated in dark chocolate brown and a bright teal while his bedroom was done in black. The sheets on this bed were solid white while the sheets on his bed were black.

Pulling back the covers, he gazed down at the blond head resting against his bicep. The mess of hair was cut in a bob that reached just below her chin. Her nose was small and cute.

“Mommy?” a voice whispered from the door of the bedroom. Brian’s brown eyes flashed towards the door as he watched a little boy open the door and shuffle over to the bed. Brown met brown as the little boy stared at the man in the bed.

“Daddy, Santa came!” the little boy whispered excitedly.